


Changing

by archfire



Category: No Fandom
Genre: Action/Adventure, Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-24
Updated: 2013-01-24
Packaged: 2017-11-26 18:47:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/653309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/archfire/pseuds/archfire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charles Havelock was a social outcast, until one morning when everything changed...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Changing

Chapter 1  
His head throbbed. How much had he had to drink? Last night seemed like forever ago. That party was insane, all he could hear was the music. An image filled his head, the screams. Everyone was clambering over each other, mass chaos erupted. The blood, oh the blood. Everywhere, all over him. The fear in their eyes. That night came back to him in a flash. His bones cracking. His face elongating, his jaw snapping open larger to fit his canine teeth. He bit into his first victim, their flesh nourishing him. The vision faded, and he was standing in his home again. His door shook, a fist was banging on the other side. He opened the door slowly. A tall man with a scraggly beard stood on the other side of the threshold. He was dressed in a police uniform with a pair of handcuffs in his hands.  
"Are you Charles Havelock?" He asked suspiciously.  
"Yes, why?"  
"You're under arrest for mass homicide."  
In that instant Charlie's eyes turned red and he kicked the officer in the chest. The officer flew across the street and crashed into his neighbor's home. He was killed on impact. Charlie took off running, his feet slapped the pavement at inhuman speed. The noise of the town faded into the distance as he ran for the woods. Twigs snapped under his feet as he crept slowly deeper into the forest. He scrambled up a large oak tree and sat, breathing heavily.  
"Hey there!" said a cheery voice.  
Charlie jumped "Who the hell are you!?"  
A little boy was sitting next to him on the branch. He looked normal enough, he was wearing modern clothes. But his eyes, black and yellow like a wolf's.  
"I'm your salvation." The boy said.  
"You tried to live with normal people like I did. They threw you out didn't they? Let me guess, you killed someone."  
"I killed an officer." Charlie said.  
"Oh that's no good." The boy said.  
"Did you feed?" The boy asked.  
"Feed?"  
"On his flesh... do you even know what you are?" the boy asked intrigued.  
"What do you mean? I wake up from time to time with bloody images in my head from my dreams, but other than that I'm normal."  
"Dreams? Those aren't dreams. They're memories....You're a werewolf."  
It all came rushing back. Mass homicide, the blood, the teeth, the screams. He was a werewolf. The next thing he knew he was being pulled off the branch by the boy, leading him off into the forest.  
"If I'm going to follow you I need to at least know your name."  
"Yatan, that is my name."  
"Huh, strange name."  
"Just follow me." The boy said rolling his eyes.  
He lead Charlie deeper and deeper into the forest. They came across a dark cave, which Yatan entered without hesitation. Charlie looked around him, he had no choice. He entered the cave. Torches lit in the distance, he heard yelling and music. He entered a circle filled with people, the festivities halted into silence when he was noticed. Yatan spoke up for him.  
"This is Charlie, he was recently removed from civilization."  
A tall brunette stepped forward from the crowd. She had an air of authority over the others.  
"I am Aria the leader of this pack, what is your business here?"  
"I am looking for sanctuary."  
"That we can provide. Welcome to the pack Charlie."  
At that the whole pack cheered. The hubbub faded as everyone went back to what they were doing. This gave Charlie a chance to look around. The inside of the cave was surprisingly ornate. The main hall was a large circular room vaguely resembling a mead hall. Engraved pillars supported a large domed ceiling with a painting of a full moon on it. There were three hallways that extended out of the main hall. They all lead to sleeping quarters. A tall, burly man with a large beard strode up to him.  
"Enjoying the artwork?" He said pointing at the moon on the ceiling.  
"It's amazing."  
"It keeps everyone at home here. The moon is a comforting sight for us." He said with longing.  
"Well." He said snapping back to reality.  
"I'd better show you where you'll be sleeping."  
He lead Charlie down a long hallway that lead to a narrow room with bunks on either side of it.  
"This will be your bunk." He said slapping a mattress at the far end of the room.  
A cloud of dust erupted as Charlie jumped onto the bed.  
"It's pretty comfortable." Charlie said surprised.  
"We hunt tomorrow when darkness falls."  
"Hunt?" Charlie asked.  
"We need to eat, and not veggies. Flesh, off a human. That's the only thing that keeps us alive."  
"The reason you used to blackout is because you never ate flesh, until your body forced you to."  
Charlie was astounded. He had to hunt humans? This seemed like a bad dream. He was waiting to wake up when the man shook him.  
"You coming back out?"  
"No, I'll stay back here. I'll see you tomorrow."  
"Suit yourself." He was about to leave when he paused  
"I'm Rem by the way."  
"Nice to meet you Rem." Charlie said putting a smile on his face.  
Rem left the room in a rush, wanting to return to the festivities. Sleep came to Charlie surprisingly quick. He dreamt of the officer he killed. His broken body lay on the pavement. Suddenly Charlie was standing at the officer's funeral. Everyone was weeping when they noticed him. Their eyes were full of hatred, and suddenly they stood. Closing in on him with pitchforks and knives. A knife pierced his thigh, while a pitchfork pierced his arm. Everyone started yelling, and more weapons his him. Bullets rained from nowhere, angry faces looked at him from all directions. A bullet hit his eye, ripping the retina and he snapped awake. Drenched in sweat he breathed heavily.  
"Had a nightmare?" said Yatan's irritatingly cheery voice.  
"Yes, what are you doing?"  
"Darkness is falling and I wanted to wake you up." He said with a wide smile.  
"Alright, give me a minute."  
Yatan bounced back outside with a spring in his step. Charlie slowly pulled on a shirt.  
"Oh you won't need that." Yatan said.  
"You'll just rip it when you change."  
Charlie looked at him with annoyance. He removed his shirt and stepped out into the hall. The pack was gathered in the main hall waiting to begin the hunt. Aria began to speak.  
"Tonight we hunt. Do not kill more than necessary and do not kill any children." She said her voice loud and clear.  
"Let the hunt begin!"  
There were howls as muscles swirled under their skin. Everyone spasmed while their bones snapped. Charlie's own transformation began. He arched his back in pain as his spine snapped. His fingers thickened with a wrenching sound as crimson fur sprouted on his body. His jaw opened with a crack. He fell forward onto his new paws. His tail grew into the air. He had never experienced this kind of clarity before. Everything seemed so vivid, he could make out every detail on the walls down to the smallest scratch. He felt more power than ever before. Like he could rip a mountain to pieces. He looked around and immediately made out Yatan in the crowd. Despite his small size he seemed menacing. Charlie was easily the largest wolf there. The pack turned toward a sleek black wolf with serene eyes. She emitted a low growl and everyone sprang towards the entrance of the cave. The ground rumbled with their might footfalls. Trees shook and leaves showered the group. Charlie saw Yatan break off from the group and he followed. He moved in complete silence, following Yatan's shaggy tan body. Yatan found a hunter, hoping to catch a deer off guard in the middle of the night. Yatan stalked him till he took his sights on one. Then Yatan burst from the undergrowth and bit into the hunter's throat. The skin strained with a loud rip as Yatan tore into the hunters corpse. He fed until he was full, and then he looked up at Charlie.  
"You know if you want to eat you shouldn't follow me around." He said amused.  
"Oh, umm." Charlie was embarrassed.  
"Just hurry up before you black out again."  
Just as he said that Charlie caught a scent on the wind. His eyes tinged red and he took off in the direction of the scent. Yatan was astounded at the speed with which Charlie ran. It was faster than he had ever seen before. Charlie soon came upon a lone man, taking a hike on a trail. He bounded up and in a flash the man seemed to have vanished. Charlie tackled him off the road. The man's neck snapped when Charlie slammed into him and he was killed. Charlie fed on his remains with vigor. He bit into his throat ripped it to shreds. He proceeded down the body until he was finished the stomach. He then took off towards the cave as fast as he could run and was surprised to hurtle past the pack on his way home. He turned back and hurried to his room to grab some clothing. He pulled on a shirt and pants and re-entered the main hall just as the rest of the pack was getting back. He and Yatan had started a card game and looked up with amusement as the pack stared at them in disbelief.  
"That was the fastest I've ever seen anyone run." Rem said in amazement.  
Charlie just looked back at them with the same clueless look. He didn't know why he ran so much faster than everyone. The pack partied till the hours of dawn and Charlie stayed up for all of it. He drank beer until he could barely see his hand, and then stumbled off to his bed. He drifted off almost immediately. He found himself back on the dead grass of the cemetery. The dream recurred. The same as the last, except inside the coffin was the hiker he just killed. The bullet hit his eye and he awoke, same as the last time. Drenched in sweat he plodded off to the main hall. He found Aria sitting on a leather couch. Her shadow played in the firelight. She looked up at him.  
"Why are you awake?" She asked thoughtfully.  
"I had a nightmare." He was embarrassed to admit it. It sounded so childish.  
"I have them every night." She said in a sympathetic voice.  
"You do?"  
"It's always a new face, the face of my latest victim." She explained.  
"Last night it was the officer I killed, and tonight it was the hiker I fed on."  
"You fed on a hiker?!" She said fearfully.  
"Was I not supposed to?" He asked.  
"Hikers tell others where they're going, so when they go missing people notice. It's good you told me, so I know we have to lay low for a little bit to lessen suspicion."  
They talked the night away, both of them afraid of sleep. The pack trickled in as the day went on. Yatan brought out his ever present deck of cards. He started a game of poker and proceeded to win everyone's money. Eventually nobody wanted to play anymore. That was when a gunshot was heard. Rem ran in, a bullet wound in his chest.  
"H-hunters....O-outside." Rem struggled to speak. He collapsed unmoving.


End file.
